Conchas are traditional Mexican sweet bread known for their crunchy, sugary topping. Donchas, a playful twist on conchas, combine the traditional concha with the shape of a donut, making them perfect for Hello Kitty-themed treats.
Ingredients
For the Dough (Yielding 12 Donchas):
- All-Purpose Flour: 360g (3 cups)
- Instant Yeast: 7g (1 package of yeast or 1 tbsp)
- Granulated Sugar: 50g (1/4 cup)
- Eggs: 2
- Vanilla Extract: 1/2 tsp
- Ground Cinnamon (Optional): 1/4 tsp
- Milk: 90ml
- Unsalted Butter: 4 tbsp (57g)
- Salt: 1/2 tsp (3g)
For the Topping:
- All-Purpose Flour: 175g (1 1/2 cups)
- Granulated Sugar: 175g (1 1/2 cups)
- Unsalted Butter/ Vegetable Shortening: 140g (10 tbsp)
- Vanilla Extract (optional): 1/2 tsp
- Food Coloring: Red and white (gel or liqua-gel)
Tools
- Hello Kitty Cutter: Kitty Cutter
- Concha Stamp: Concha Stamp
- Baking Supplies: Buy on Amazon
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 360g of all-purpose flour, 50g of sugar, 7g of instant yeast, 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon (optional), 2 eggs, and 90ml of milk. Mix until a soft dough forms, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add 1/2 tsp of salt and 4 tbsp of softened unsalted butter to the dough mixture. Mix the dough on medium speed until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into 12 equal parts (about 55g to 60g each). Shape each part into an oval shaped ball.
- Lightly cover the top of each dough ball with soften butter or vegetable shortening.
- Cover and let them rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
Step 2: Prepare the Topping
- In a mixing bowl, combine 175g of all-purpose flour, 175g of granulated sugar, 140g of softened unsalted butter or vegetable shortening and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional) until the mixture forms a smooth, pliable dough.
- Separate 60g of the topping dough and color it with red food coloring.
- Leave the remaining topping white. Divide the white topping into 12 portions
Step 3: Decorate the Donchas
- Flatten each piece of white topping with a cake/pie pan or tortilla press and plastic wrap, then apply it to each dough ball.
- Press Kitty cutter into each dough and trim the excess with a fondant knife.
- Flatten the red topping and press down the cutter to get the bow shapes. Place them on the white topping.
- Stamp the topping gently with a concha cutter.
- Use a small round cutter to hollow out each dough center.
- Decorate with your choice of sprinkles
Step 4: Final Proofing and Bake
- Cover the shaped Donchas lightly with plastic wrap and let them proof for about 20 to 30 minutes until puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Bake the Donchas for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.